I could swear that I saw a site sponsor offering the JCW intake for around $250. I can't find anything about it by searching, so I'm wondering if anyone knows about this or if I just dreamed it.

Oh yeah, is anyone making a K&N style replacement filter for this intake yet?

 

Sounds like a dream to me

 

cooperSHARON

Helix has it for $250.00 on their site. Good Luck

 

Cool! Thanks.

 

That's where I got mine and for that price. Good deal and fast shipping.

 

Ditto.. I got the same deal!

 

Is there a big difference between the JCW intake and the others?

 

Whats involved with the install?

 

No K&N filter for the JCW intake yet as far as I know, but I have one of these ITG filters ready to install this weekend...

http://www.myminiparts.com/proddetail.php?prod=ITGJC

 

First of all, let me say that in terms of performance, none of the intakes has much to offer - maybe a few HP at most.

The thing that makes the JCW intake unique is that it has a flap that opens at high RPMs, letting more cold air from the cowl vent and more supercharger whine into the cockpit. I don't remember specifics, but I seem to recall that it's triggered electronically above 4500 RPM. (And maybe it uses a vacuum line to open the flap?) So you need to hook up a wire and maybe a vacuum hose in addition to the intake connections you'd make with the other intakes on the market.

The JCW intake also looks more "stock," which is to say, it blends in well with the rest of the engine compartment. All the other aftermarket intakes definitely look like "mods." That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on where you're coming from. And the JCW intake won't void your warranty, though it's hard to think of a scenario where an aftermarket intake could be blamed for an engine problem, except maybe a hydrolock (water entering the cylinders and destroying the engine).

I put an Ultrik intake on my otherwise stock 2005 MCS and did a few timed runs in 3rd gear from 3000 to 6000 RPM. In terms of performance, I couldn't find any difference. The times were all within my range of inaccuracy caused by trying to operate a stopwatch and hit the exact moment the needle hit the lines on the tach and drive the car all at the same time. (Try it - it's harder than I expected!)

Then I cut an opening in the panel that separates the cowl from the aribox. Some aftermarket exhausts, like the Alta and the JCW, let in more air from the cowl; most don't. You can do this yourself - see Randy Webb's "Airbox Mod" at https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ead.php?t=4133

I did a few more timed runs, and this did seem to make a small but measurable difference, especially between 5000 and 6000 RPM. This makes sense to me - if the engine isn't getting enough air, you'll see it most at high RPMs. If your car has a pulley, I assume there would be an even bigger difference, and I expect it would happen sooner, i.e., at lower RPMs.

So why even bother with the flap? I assume that the idea behind the JCW is to keep the supercharger noise out of the cockpit when the revs are below 4500 and the engine doesn't need the extra air. Again, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. I like hearing the supercharger on my car. And when I'm cruising, it isn't much louder than before, even at highway speeds.

You have to ask yourself, is the JCW intake's reduced noise, "stock" look, cool (but unimportant, in terms of performance) technology, and the remote possibility of warranty concerns worth the additional cost and perhaps slightly more complicated installation.

I kind of like the "modded" look of my new intake. And I like hearing the supercharger when I'm on the gas, even at speeds below 4500 RPM. I paid $99 for my Ultrik intake, on sale. If I had been able to buy the JCW at something close to that price, I might have bought it instead. But at $250 (and that's a huge discount off a list price of $450!) I didn't think it was worth it.

 

it's vacuum controlled. What I like most about it is that below 4500 I can enjoy the darker noise of the Milltek while at higher rpm the supercharger is more noticable. I don't want the supercharger noise to cover up my Milltek

I'll post what the impact will be of installing the ITG foam filter over the standard paper one...